India, Pakistan foreign secretaries exchange courtesies at SAARC dinner

Kathmandu: Indian Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry on Tuesday exchanged courtesies at the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) dinner in Nepal.

This was the first time the two have met since the Pathankot airbase attacks in January, which derailed bilateral ties between the two nations.

Earlier, the two of them were on a boat ride together.

The two exchanged courtesies at the function, which was held in the run up to the SAARC meeting for foreign ministers, which begins on March 17.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is expected to meet Sartaj Aziz, Pakistan prime minister's adviser on foreign affairs in Pokhara, where the SAARC meeting will take place.

However, earlier in the day, diplomatic relations took a hit after reports emerged claiming India had denied visas to seven Pakistani officials who wanted to attend the ongoing World T20 tournament.

While there was no official communication on the matter from both countries, it was reported that the Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday issued summons to Indian Deputy High Commissioner in Islamabad J.P. Singh as a sign of protest.

Two of the seven diplomats were given the travel permits, but the remaining five were denied permission because of their links with the country's defence ministry and its Inter-Services Intelligence agency.